07 October 2009

There we have it. The Czechs are expected to ratify the Lisbon Treaty before the end of the year.

Jan Fischer, the Czech Prime Minister, said “everything is in place”. José Manuel Barroso, the President of the European Commission, responded by saying “this commitment of the Czech government is very clear”.

It falls short of a “solemn and binding agreement”, but only just. Cameron should come under pressure to declare what his “new policy” is over Europe now that the treaty will, almost certainly, come into force in January.

Then there is this, which should be read in full. Jane Merrick, the Political Editor of the Independent on Sunday, says that the Tories are wrong about Michal Kaminski of the Polish Law and Justice Party:

This is high stakes politics for David Cameron. His entire European policy, the project to withdraw from the European People's Party and form a new alliance with Kaminski et al, the very thing which helped him win key votes from the Tory Eurosceptic right in his 2005 leadership campaign, rests on Mr Kaminski being given a "clean bill of health". If Mr Kaminski's past is open to scrutiny in the way it is, Cameron's European project could come crashing down. The Conservative statement cannot be allowed to become a statement of the facts. It is wrong on several points.

William Hague and David Cameron justify their position - ie denying Mr Kaminski has a dubious past - because he, Kaminski, is now a "friend of Israel" and has been supported by Conservative Friends of Israel.

What is sad about this issue is that some members of the Jewish community feel that they are being used by the Tories to justify the project. But the facts should not be allowed to be distorted to ensure Mr Cameron has a smooth path to Downing Street.

She is right, “Cameron's European project could come crashing down”. His conference may end on a high but Europe has cast a shadow over the week.